Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-03-19
Looms Up as a Death Trap Beside
the Railroad.
ANAVFUL CATASTROPHE In BUFFALO
The New Richmond Hotel and Several Ad-
joining Buildings Burned DOwn-A
Dozen People Burned 10 Death.
ABOUT TWENTY-FIVE INJURED.
Men, Women and Children Leap in Dsspsra-
tOn From the WindOw+ShriskS and
GrOans Fill the Air-HOrrible
Sighs-A Great Money Loss.

BUFFALO, n. Y, March 1s.-Fire was
discovered at $3.50 o. o'clOck this morning in
the new Richmond Hotel, corner of Main
and Eagle streets. The alarm was sound
ed and the fire departments responded
promptly.
The hotel was opened for business about
= month ago, and handsomely fitted and
decorated, and was filled with guests last
night. The fire spread with frightful
rspidity and the guests rudely awakened
from their slumbers by the horrifying cry
Of fire" rushed to the windows and
other possible avenues of escape.
When they saw the flames shutting
of their way to the ground, their
heartrending shrieks could be heard
blocks away. Ladders were raised and o
large number rescued, but ut seven
o clock it was reported that at least thirty
lives have been lost. The hotel burned
like tinder box, the corridor i'll the centre
Of the building acting as q great funnel.
The fire spread ito the Bunnell Museum,
building adjoining on Eagle street and 4
small frame building adjoining on Main
street, and the three structures were en-
tirely destroyed.
One guest jumped from fifth story
window onto the roof of the frame build
ing mentioned. He was completely naked
and lay helpless on the roof He was
taken down from there and conveyed to
the accident hospital. At window on
the third floor two guests were seen to
FALL BACK INTO THE FLAMTS.
Three of the servant girls are thought TO
have perished. Two lady guests, one with
a child under her arms, were rescued from
a fifth floor front room at four o'clock.
They had tainted and narrowly escaped
death. Another guest is at Carney saloon
near by, internally injured and. will prob
ably die.
Mr.. F. Y. Bryant, New York travelling
man, is badly burned about the feet and
hands.
Mr.. Stafford, the proprietor of the hotel,
was aroused by the night clerk and had
barely time 10 put on his coat and trOus-
ers. He stood on the corner opposite his
hotel for a minute, gazing on the burning
structure, and then burst into tears, IuOan-
ing My God, My God, some of them are
burning. cannot bear to hear their cries, !"
and he put his hand to his ears to shut out
the cries of the victims.
The loss will be very heavy. The hotel
was fitted mp at q cost of about $50, 900,
and the building was valued at $50, 600.
Bunntlps Museum was built at a cost OF
$50, 900, and the loss to the interior Gttings
will probably amount to 80, 900.
At o'clock the estimate of the loss OF
life was reduoel to twelve, but this is in a
measure mere guess work. There were l2o
persons in the hotel, seventy of whom were
transient guests, eight bOarders, and the
remainder pOrteIs, bell boys, families of
proprietors and clerks. Twenty-Five OF
these were rescued from the windows by
the firemen, twenty-five are ut the hOspl-
tails and a large number mado their escape
by Other means.